An Amusing Distraction
by Educate the Masses
Summary: My thoughts on the 10 word challenge by Roadrunner. It's harder than it looks


blue, surprise, trip, run, crawl, drive, cup, pipe, mountain, bathtub

Deep breath in through the nose…

Slow release through the mouth for one…two…three strides.

Training for the half marathon was different than training for her usual 5 or 10k runs. Avery had to watch her breathing or her asthma would flare up. That would mean the end of the **run**.

Mile six. Her second wind would kick in soon and the last 3 miles would feel exhilarating. There was the addiction – the runner's high.

It was an absolutely gorgeous spring day in Connecticut. The air was always cleaner here than the city. Even being in the suburbs the air was still somewhat stale and dingy. The sky was an unbelievable **blue** – almost cerulean – she thought. The scientist in her could not resist thinking about the nitrogen in the air that precipitated the cerulean heavens.

"Wow," she thought. "I am still a nerd after all these years." Being back in the town where she graduated from high school always dredged up feelings of inadequacy in the hierarchy of adolescence. Avery never understood how her sister could stand to live here all these years. And yet, she was so glad to be out of the city and away from distractions.

As she emerged from the tree line on the "visitor's" side of the high school football field, she thought she recognized the figures sitting on the "home" side of the stands.

"It can't be." But it is, and one of the "distractions", albeit a pleasant **surprise**, has followed her from New York.

"Bobby, Alex, what are you doing here?"

Avery and Alex have been friends since Alex gave birth five years ago. After delivering Nathan and stitching Alex up, Avery became Alex's sounding board and "shoulder to cry on" for the next three months. Avery didn't mind. Rarely did a midwife's job end when the baby was delivered, and very often a friendship is formed.

This friendship did not prevent Bobby from treating her like a suspect the first time he met her. It was the beginning of an exhausting murder case. And her patient was the victim. After he held her hair when she threw up after seeing the crime scene photos, they became the best of friends.

"Your sister called me. Said that she was having a dinner party tonight, and I should bring Nate up to play with the kids." Alex replied. "Oh, and she said to grab Bobby too."

"So you just decided to make the **trip**." Avery couldn't keep the suspicion out of her voice. Her sister, Megan, has been trying to set her up for the last year. No amount of convincing that she and Bobby are just friends has worked.

Bobby heard her irritation and even Alex picked up on it, so he decided to change the subject. "How was your run?"

"Great – I was going to take two laps around the track to finish it out. Care to join me?"

"Wrong shoes," Alex whined. She looked down at a certain pair of size 13 sneakers and said, "Bobby, on the other hand, seems well equipped for the challenge."

"Thanks, Eames." Bobby muttered as he trotted down the steps onto the track.

"This is going to be fun," Eames chided, sitting back to watch.

Bobby and Avery started jogging down the track. Alex knew where this was going. Avery had a competitive streak that entered every part of her life. This was going to turn into a race and Alex was interested in finding out who was going to win. Even though Bobby carried a secret torch for Avery, his **drive** to win was not going anywhere.

Sure enough, about halfway through the second lap, Avery picked up the pace. Bobby matched her speed and by the time they got to the last turn they were sprinting. Bobby beat her by a couple of strides, but they both veered onto the grass and collapsed, laughing.

Alex ran over to them and Avery was sitting with her hands on her knees, huffing. Bobby was a few yards away flat on his back trying to catch his breath.

Avery handed her car keys to Alex. "Can you go-- get my inhaler? -- it's on the middle console."

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine—just need a puff or two"

"OK. I'll be right back."

As she jogged in her flip-flops toward the parking lot, Bobby turned over and pulled up on all fours to **crawl** over to her. "Why did you race me if you knew this was going to happen?"

"I just--sped up--I'm—training for—a race—you didn't—have to—"

"Okay, okay, just stop talking before you completely run out of air. Here comes Eames with your inhaler. Then we can go to Meg's and get a shower before dinner."

Alex handed her the crimson inhaler and her blue insulated Tupperware **cup **filled with ice water. Avery sucked on the inhaler like an addict sucking on a crack **pipe**, held her breathfor 30 seconds and exhaled. Sure enough, after the second puff, she was on her feet. They started for the lot.

"That stuff is amazing. One minute you're gasping for breath. The next you're walking around like nothing happened. Doesn't that blow your mind?"

"I can climb any **mountain** with the asthma drugs they have these days. Twenty years ago that wasn't the case. Pretty sad when you're in better shape in your 30s than you were in your teens."

As Bobby watched her walk to the car from behind, he marveled at how good she looked, particularly her—

"Stop it." Eames whispered as she poked him in the ribs.

"What?" Bobby asked with an innocent look on his face.

"What?" Avery turned and asked.

"Uh, n-nothing. I just told Eames I can't wait for a shower."

"Ugh. You're not kidding. I can't wait to peel off these clothes slide into the **bathtub**. You wore me out, Bobby."

She climbed into the Prius and started the engine. Bobby remained quiet as he climbed in the passenger side of Eames' car. The mental images Avery planted in his mind were more than he could take.

"You okay?" Alex asked, knowing exactly where his thoughts were.

"No." Bobby sighed. "This is going to be a very long night."

As Avery looked in her rear view mirror, she saw Alex laughing hysterically and felt a pang of jealousy in her stomach. _Where did that come from?_


End file.
